Prix Italia, the world’s oldest radio, TV and new media festival, has announced that they’ll hold a business-focused forum entitled “The New Frontiers of Co-Productions for TV Drama: Focus on Turkey” on September 18, smack in the middle of the 64th annual event. In doing so, RAI, the Italian state broadcaster that is organizing the event, and the Italian TV sector that is actively participating, is recognizing the increasing power of Turkey as a major TV market.
The forum is unusual given the fact that most of the conferences at the Turin, Italy event tend to be less focused on business and more on the artistic elements that are better suited for the general public. The Turkey forum is a collaboration with Basic Lead/DISCOP, organizers of DISCOP Istanbul.
Giovanna Milella, secretary general of Prix Italia, said the event was created with independent TV producers in mind. “The purpose of the forum is to offer both Prix Italia’s attendees and Italian and international producers the opportunity to know more about the new production models adopted by Turkish producers. The Forum will also give the chance to debate how the new models can be used for international co-production agreements,” she said.
Why Turkey? “Because Turkey represents a growing domestic market and a gateway to new emerging markets, such as Middle East, Central Asia and Africa,” she said.
Among the panelists at the forum will be ITV’s Can Okan and Ares Media’s Elvan Albayrak. Another Turkish TV executive, in the process of clearing a schedule. The conference will be co-moderated by VideoAge’s Dom Serafini and Seyda Canepa, an correspondent covering Italy for Turkey’s news channel NTV.
Representatives from Rai Fiction and members of APT, the Italian Association of TV Producers, will also attend the forum.
Patrick Zuchowiki, general manager of Basic Lead, said that as organizer of DISCOP Istanbul, he’s been at the “front-row” of the evolution of Turkish content exporters. “There’s been a huge growth in that region. It started in the Middle East, expanded to Central Asia, then the Balkans and now we’re seeing Turkish telenovelas selling into South America.”
“Turkey is starting to have a stronger presence on the international co-production scene” as well, Zuchowiki said, which explains the reasoning behind this forum.
Zuchowiki said there are some synergies between Turkey and Italy specifically. “They are both producing great stories, and they both have strong cultural heritages from which they can draw. They also both have strong marketplaces — Turkey has 80 million people, Italy has around 60 million.”
Zuchowiki adds that Turkish production companies may have access to places other countries find challenging. “They have access to countries in Central Asia and the Middle East, they also have great talent, and have been able to create a strong production community.”
He adds: “Turkey brings global stories, and they’re not trying to replicate what’s being done in Hollywood. The country’s producers have their own voice, and it’s a universal one.”
The 64th annual Prix Italia will run from September 16-21. About 600 professionals are expected, with about 10,000 total attending the screenings, too.
